{
    "success": true,
    "data": {
        "id": 1700212,
        "msgid": "ipb-professor-offers-solution-for-eradicating-sailfin-catfish-1777107056",
        "date": "2026-04-25 14:33:55",
        "title": "IPB Professor Offers Solution for Eradicating Sailfin Catfish",
        "author": "Muhammad Hafil",
        "source": "REPUBLIKA",
        "tags": "",
        "topic": "Environment",
        "summary": "Prof Mala Nurilmala from IPB University proposes utilising eradicated sailfin catfish as fertiliser for ornamental plants instead of burying them alive, criticising the Jakarta Provincial Government's previous method as wasteful. She highlights that the fish, contaminated with heavy metals from polluted Jakarta waters, are unsafe for human consumption or animal feed but can aid environmental balance if managed properly. This approach addresses ecological concerns while adhering to principles of animal welfare and sustainability, as noted by MUI's Fatwa Commission.",
        "content": "<p>Professor of Fishery Product Technology at the Faculty of Fisheries\nand Marine Sciences, IPB University, Prof Mala Nurilmala, has offered a\nsolution for eradicating the sailfin catfish that has been widely\ndiscussed. She encourages the results of the pleco eradication to be\nturned into fertiliser for ornamental plants. Prof Mala regrets the\nmethod used by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, which previously\nburied the sailfin catfish alive during the eradication operation,\ndeeming it to have no benefits. Nevertheless, this MUI Halal Auditor\nviews the operation as highly positive and falling under the category of\nforce majeure in the context of environmental ecosystem balance. \u201cThe\nsailfin catfish should preferably be utilised as liquid fertiliser for\nornamental plants. Indeed, it cannot be used for living beings anymore\nbecause it is in waters heavily polluted with heavy metals,\u201d said Prof\nMala in her statement quoted from MUIDigital, Saturday (25\/4\/2026). The\nDirector of InCoPro (Indonesian aquatic co-product association) reminds\nthat the sailfin catfish in Jakarta\u2019s river waters are already\ncontaminated with heavy metals, making them unsafe for use with living\nbeings. \u201cNot only for human consumption, but also if the sailfin catfish\nfrom polluted Jakarta waters are used as feed for livestock such as\nchickens and ducks,\u201d said this Senior Researcher at the IPB Halal\nScience Center. She stated that if sailfin catfish are in unpolluted\nwaters, they are like ordinary fish that are safe for human consumption\nand as livestock feed. \u201cActually, sailfin catfish, if there is an\necosystem balancer, can preserve the environment and be beneficial in\nabsorbing metals. But here, there is no food, no other predators, so\nthey multiply excessively and even damage the environment because the\necosystem is absent,\u201d she explained. Prof Mala explained that sailfin\ncatfish are fish that can adapt well to all conditions. Therefore, she\nbelieves that eradicating sailfin catfish needs to be utilised rather\nthan buried, especially buried alive. Prof Mala highlighted Minamata\ndisease, caused by tuna heavily contaminated with mercury, leading to\nvarious cases in humans. \u201cContaminated fish become part of the food\nchain. For example, this fish is eaten by animals, introducing heavy\nmetals. Those animals are then eaten by humans accumulatively, causing\nharm,\u201d she said. Prof Mala also reminded that if sailfin catfish are\nburied, the decomposition process will take a long time because sailfin\ncatfish have very hard shells. Previously, the MUI Fatwa Commission\nresponded to the sailfin catfish eradication operation by the DKI\nJakarta Provincial Government, which was suspected of burying the fish\nwhile they were still alive. Secretary of the MUI Fatwa Commission, KH\nMiftahul Huda, reminded that the mass burial of live sailfin catfish\nviolates two principles. First, the principle of rahmatan lil \u2019alamin\nand the principle of animal welfare or kesrawan (animal welfare).<\/p>",
        "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ipb-professor-offers-solution-for-eradicating-sailfin-catfish-1777107056",
        "image": ""
    },
    "sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
    "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}